A Long Long Time Ago
by Chibimerica
Summary: Sasusaku. AU. Times of desperation calls for times of a whimsical escapade. Sakura had no other choice but to move from urban city to rural town but while there she soon learns more and more about herself and of a mystical fairytale of the waiting king. What exactly happened a long, long time ago...? And how was her tale going to end?


Hello my beloved hamburgers~! Here comes a lovely story of fantasy with the always adorable couple of Sasusaku! I hope you enjoy it, the idea was inspired by _**Pan's Labyrinth**_(so if you notice anything familiar and you watched that movie then that'll be why) however I never really saw the movie- only read the plot and synopsis. I've also been listening to the song _**Long, Long Time Ago**_ from the Pan's Labyrinth soundtrack ergo the title of the story was derived from it. The song is a really beautiful piece and the melody is actually important for it will be brought up again and again. So please listen to it sooner or later because I do plan on mentioning the melody on the story some time later but let's get on to the story my hamburger veterans~!ヾ(＠゜▽゜＠）ノ

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own Naruto.

A Long, Long Time Ago

A long, long time ago, there lived an underworld king and his beautiful, kind wife. The two lived in perfect harmony in spite of their differences in character.

The king was often seen as arrogant, cold, wrathful, and stubborn; he was a man whose personality was rotten and vile however he was physically a handsome being who had a plethora of female admirers despite his callous attitude. Now the queen was a very beloved woman and was praised for her ethereal beauty as well as her wise judgments and serene temperament that kept her husband in check.

One day the two got into a heated argument regarding the fate of a cruel human man whom slaughtered men and elders, raped women, and enslaved children. The king wanted to give the man a capital punishment of eternal damnation however the queen was against his decision and told him to spare the human from the infernal punishment. The queen defended the human with the fact that he had grown in an ill and ruthless environment where violence was common, she spoke on behalf of the human and mentioned how he was abused in the past by both his parents and how he was even once raped by his drunken father; the poor human only did what he learned during his juvenile stage.

Nevertheless, the king did not excuse the human, ignoring his wife's' pleas and thoughts, and sent the man to eternal damnation.

After the punishment had been given, the queen shouted her curses towards her cruel and harsh husband and marched out of the underworld into the surface- much to the king's rage.

The queen stayed there for three months, in the season now known as winter, until she grew ill after experiencing the foreign icy storms and infective land that immediately contaminated her body with bacteria and viruses that were alien to her.

As her illness grew, she tried to return to the underworld but the underworld king, whom was still angry at her, refused her entrance.

Time after time, the queen tried to return but was only denied entrance again and again. She eventually died of her fatigue and once news of her death came to the king, he was grief-stricken. He mourned her death for centuries and acknowledged his wrongdoings as well as the faults he had. Taking blame for his wife's demise, the king vowed to fix all his faults for her sake.

The king, however, knew that his wife would one day return to his side and he swore to wait for his wife's return no matter how long it took, even if the world were to end...

And since then, he has waited for eternity, dreaming of the day he and his wife would reunite.

...

Sakura closed the book shut and read the front cover of the fairy tale, curiously. _A long, long time ago…_ "How fitting." She mumbled to herself, placing the book back into her bookcase.

The book was so old and already catching dust before she curiously pulled it out from her bookcase. It was a fairytale book that her mother once read her before nighttime when she was a mere toddler although she realized her mom must've censored some parts out because she did not remember the specific heinous crimes the human man committed and neither did she remember the punishment of _eternal damnation_. It was an interesting tale nonetheless, not one of those goody-goody stories that began with "Once upon a time…" and ended with "Happily ever after." She found it rather intriguing especially with how it had a realistic, mellow flare despite the fantasy touch within it. The king and queen fought over the fate of a ruthless yet unfortunate soul, which was a situation that she could relate to modern times, and since the verdict was against the queen's thoughts and wishes she finally left her jerk of a husband and went to the _surface_. And then that action ended up biting her in the butt since she couldn't last in the surface for basically three months, which made sense for her body was unknown to the surface and the surface was no disease-free haven. Then came the factor that her husband was still mad at her and refused to let the poor woman come back until she died in the very end. Then he opened his eyes, after such an impactful event, and realizes he was a jerk and in the end of it all, he waits for her; no happily ever after, no miracles, only a raw, touching action.

She found it a bit romantic how he waited for his wife's return. The fairy tale never says if his wife ends up returning, leaving the reader to make their own conclusion. "It really is an interesting tale." Her emerald eyes examine the withering front cover with the golden cursive title sprawling over what she presumed to be the underworld kingdom in the background; it was a dark kingdom that held a mystifying touch to it.

She touched the cover in fascination of its extraordinary texture until her cellphone rang to life, the standard Marimba tone chimed again and again. She glanced at the caller ID and rolled her emerald eyes as the name: **Hot blonde girl**, came into view. Grumbling she answered and addressed the _hot blonde girl_, "Hot blonde girl? Really? When did you mess with my phone?"

She heard a shrill laughter on the other end, "Well it's nice to hear from you too, Forehead."

Sakura glared at the wall in front of her, focusing all her irritation onto it. "Ino…" She began warningly.

"Alright, alright, Forehead. Jeez, such a party pooper. I did it when were in the café yesterday and you were getting my muffin and coffee."

Sakura thought back on that day and she faintly remembered how her friend was grinning madly, a mischievous glint in her baby blue eyes, while Sakura handed her food to her. _What a fox…_"Remind me next time, to not do you any more favors of picking up your food, Piggy."

She sensed the pout from the other line, "Mou! Don't be that way, Forehead. I promise not to do it again, I was just so bored and well your phone was just there for me to conveniently mess with. And besides, _Piggy_ was not the preferred name I wanted to be under."

Sakura rolled her emerald orbs again, replying haughtily. "Boo hoo, I bet you have me under _Forehead_."

There was silence from the other line before a lame, awkward chuckle erupted. "Okay, you got me there but besides that!" The blonde friend continued from the other line, shamelessly changing the topic. "Are you going to be working today, Forehead?"

"Of course, when do I not? A doctor must always be there for her patients"

An extensive silence ensued from the other end. Sakura called her friend's name, confused by the sudden silence. "Hey Ino, you still there?"

"Yes." The soft reply came as a surprise to Sakura.

"Is something wrong, Ino? You're never this quiet." The rosette teased her friend, trying to get an expected retort however there was no retort instead there was a daunting question.

"Is that one guy still bothering you, Sakura?"

The rosette immediately caught on to what her friend was saying. _The guy who was bothering her_ was a wealthy man who had been stalking and threatening her for what seems like months now.

It all began when she treated a guy by the name Jun Hiroshi. He had tripped and fallen down a couple flights of stairs and in result, had some ruptured ribs and bones as well as some mild sprains here and there. She treated him like she treated all her other patients: soothingly and with bright care. Jun probably took all her kindness the wrong way and uselessly tried to flirt with her, she kindly rejected his advances but the man did not seem deterred. After that, He would send her exotic flowers at work, each week, with letters of love. Then he began to send some of his men to her, each and every one of them asking her to date Jun and with each and every one of them came the same answer: No. She no-later learned from those men that Jun was no ordinary man; he was the son of the wealthy chairman of Nihon Trade. Nihon Trade was a business that owned half of many small or big corporations that sold organic fruit to nuclear weapons to nations around the world; it was certainly no small thing.

Over time, Jun's fruitless puppy love turned to an obsession over time and his harmless advances turned to more severe forms of stalking and harassment.

Sakura spoke to Ino about her problem with Jun, which frightened her close friend severely. Ever since then, Ino had grown worried about Sakura going to work and advised her constantly to put a restraining order on him but Sakura doubted a restraining order could keep Jun away from her.

Sakura sighed as she remembered the latest approach Jun gave to her, which was merely yesterday, he came to her job and waited for her till lunch break came. He personally offered to take her out for lunch and she, for the umpteenth time, rejected his offer causing him to lose his cool and storm off in anger. "I can't say that's he's been leaving me in peace…"

The soft sigh from the other line indicated to Sakura that her friend was clearly upset and disappointed. "Why don't you just get a restraining order on him, Sakura…?"

"Well he hasn't done anything harmful as of now."

"And so what? Are you just going to wait till he does something harmful? Just a couple months ago he was sending you flowers at work, well that seems harmless enough, but _now_ the guy is posting up notes in front of your home to date him or else." _Oh, yeah… Did Sakura forget to mention that?_ "And he's also waltzing into your work and personally asking you for a date; all of that in a matter of months! Who knows what he will resort to much later?"

"Ino, you're being paranoid." Sakura calmly spoke, flinching as her friend shouted back at her in anger.

"If being worried for your well-being makes me paranoid, then fine I guess I'm REALLY paranoid! Or you know maybe I'm also trying to keep you from future trouble? That Jun guy is going to be much worse than either of us will ever expect, Sakura. I just know it! "

Frowning Sakura glanced at her clock, noticing that she had only 30 more minutes till she had to go to work. She waved off the Jun topic and quickly dismissed herself from Ino, saying a quick "Good bye, talk to you later" before hanging up, not even allowing Ino to utter another word in response. She knew she was going to get an earful the moment she came across Ino again but she didn't give much thought to that prospect and instead slipped on her navy blue shrubs. She pinned her long pink hair up into a neat bun- that would most likely become a mess by the end of the day, brushed her teeth and walked out her home with a toast lodged into her mouth.

As she closed the door she was quick to notice a neon pink sticky note stuck into it, she reluctantly pulled it off her door and read it.

_Good morning, my dear Cherry Blossom, _

_I hope today you can spare some of your time with me during your lunch break._

_My love for you is eternal and I will forever wait till you finally accept me, even if the world were to end, I would still eternally wait for your love._

_Love always, Jun_

Sakura shuddered as she read about Jun's supposed love for her but once she read how he would wait for her she thought back on the fairytale: A long, long time ago. _I don't think waiting is as romantic when Jun is the one who's doing it._ She wearily thought, a sudden roar of an engine erupted from the normally quiet neighborhood of Sakura and she was aghast to see a sleek black car drive off, recognizing it as one of the cars that belonged to Jun's associates. They were watching her now…

…

Although Sakura was a bit jumpy in the morning, due to realizing that she was now being watched, she recovered from the shock and kept her mind focused on her work and not an obsessed stalker. She smiled warmly at her current patient; it was a young boy of only 9. He was eying her nervously as she got her needed equipment. The boy had an arthroscopic surgery and the following four week recovery had just ended, he wasn't originally assigned to her but his doctor called in sick today so now it was Sakura who had to do the last check-up. She tapped his knee to see if his reflexes were fine, it was. She slowly bent the leg in and out three times, repeatedly, and asked him if there was any pain which he replied with a no. She pushed her fingers softly against his knees in spots that would've most likely been affected by the surgery, asking if it hurt when she touched any of the spots, he shook his head and Sakura stood back up smiling at him then at his mother. "Well he seems to be perfectly fine but if you notice any issues please come back as soon as you can." The boys' mother smiled gratefully and thanked her as she left with her gleeful son who was beaming up at Sakura as he departed. Sakura chuckled at his elation and waved at them as they left.

She turned to the clock and felt distaste when she saw that it was nearing lunch break. _Jun will be coming soon…_

Pulling out her phone she decided to call Ino. Ring one came and went, followed by ring two, then ring three, the fourth was stopped mid-ring. Ino's high-pitched voice came from the other line, "What do you want, Forehead?" The grumpiness was evident yet Sakura took the initiative to ignore it.

"Can you do me a favor, Piggy, and bring me my lunch over to the hospital? I would like a ham and cheese Panini with a loaf of bread and a side of soup from Panera Bread, please."

Without even Sakura telling her, Ino knew it had to do with Jun. She could just sense the anxious vibe emitting from Sakura and if it weren't for that, Ino would've given Sakura curses from left to right for daring to give her such a request after hanging up on her in the morning. "Alright but you're going to have to tell me what happened. Got it?"

Sakura reluctantly consented and hung up as the other line went dead. _I guess today I'll be in huddled in my office._ The poor rosette thought dryly. She walked towards the nearest elevator, pressing the button for the sixth floor.

The Konoha Hospital was a quite gargantuan brick building that consisted of 10 floors of medical aid. Besides the hospital's large size, it also had a rather old age having been established in the late-1800's. Although the building had had some modern touches and fixes here and there, it was still a bit of a surprise that the hospital is withholding so greatly not only foundation-wise but award-wise as well. The Konoha hospital is highly praised for its excellent job in surgical development as well as, high quality service and efficiency.

Sakura was rather proud to work in such a prestigious place, who wouldn't? It's virtually the same experience as it is for an American student being accepted to Harvard University or winning an Oscar as an actor or beating a group of friends in rock, paper, scissors or even licking your own elbow. It's that sense of accomplishment and shine that Sakura feels whenever she looks up at the building; she truly appreciates the Konoha Hospital and all its glory. No rich, determined stalker could ever separate her from this place; she simply won't allow it.

The rosette walked towards her office and waited patiently for her friend to burst through her door or for a text or call, indicating that her blonde friend is coming.

So she waited.

And waited,

And waited…

20 minutes have already passed, Sakura frowned feeling fortunate that she had a 1-hour lunch break. "I vow to wait even if the world were to end." The rosette muttered jokingly to herself. _Seems like everything is waiting nowadays, that book must be a fortune teller or something…_

A sudden ding caught Sakura by surprise and she pulled out her cellphone expecting to see a text from Ino. She smiled as she read the text her friend sent her.

_Sorry, Forehead. _

_The line in Panera was too damn LONG! _ _Next time pick a restaurant that's not too packed during lunch break! D:_

_I'm on my way by-the-way. Be there in about 15 minutes. ;D_

Chuckling, Sakura withheld the urge to text back, not wanting to distract her friend while she was driving. After all, Ino will probably attempt to text back and Sakura did not want to be one of the people who say, "This was the last text my friend ever gave before she died in a car crash." It would absolutely bug her for the rest of her life especially since Sakura was a doctor. _Imagine the huge dent that will put on my record!_

Another ding came from her cellphone, that couldn't be Ino… only a few minutes, about 5, just passed since she last texted her. Unless Ino was zooming through the streets but if Sakura could say one semi-positive thing about her friend it would be that Ino was always conscious of the speed she was driving at; she never went too fast or too slow. _Maybe she got caught on traffic and so she's texting me about it now. _Curiously reading what she thought would be Ino's text, she was surprised to see an unknown number. Pink eyebrows arched and Sakura warily read the text, a sinking feeling came. She wondered if she really wanted to read the text as her eyes glanced back at the unknown number, still not feeling any familiarity to it. Her eyes immediately widen in horror as her eyes skimmed through the text.

_Sakura, dearie. It's me, Jun._

_You aren't out yet. Where are you, my precious cherry blossom? I have been growing worried. Please text back, the kind lady in the front desk was kind enough to give me your number, and she's worried as well._

_And maybe after we get all this worry cleared up we should go out! There's this lovely restaurant place that I am absolutely SURE that you will enjoy. It has the best desserts ever! And it also sells Anmitsu, your favorite!_

_I am excited for this date. Please tell me you can go to this one!_

The rosette couldn't even wrap her mind around how the man knew she loved Anmitsu! She rarely ate it and she really hasn't told people that it's her favorite. But regardless of that, how in the world did he get her number from the front desk woman? She doesn't give employee information to anyone! In fact she _shouldn't_ be giving away employee information to anyone! Sakura went for the work phone in her desk. She pushed the button 003 to connect to the front desk. A raspy feminine voice came from the other line, "Hello, Dr-."

"Do not utter another word till I finish what I have to say, you hear me!" Not waiting for a response Sakura continued on," Look did you or did you not give my cellphone number to a man by the name of Jun?" Emerald eyes squinted and Sakura unknowingly began to shake a leg in impatience.

"I did." The calm and steady answer from the woman on the other line was exactly what Sakura was dreading to hear. She wanted to scream at the woman, reprimand her for telling someone, especially Jun, her number but instead with all the will power she could she muster up; she didn't. "Send him off, _now_." The last word was spoken with a severe, commanding tone that Sakura rarely ever used. She was usually warm and calm but the tenseness caused by the stalker, who was beginning to hit her breaking point, was getting to her. _No. Calm down, Sakura. You are better than this._

"Aright, mam, will do."

The doctor thanked her then hung up the phone. Her hands made way to her temples, rubbing them in hopes to soothe her mind and body.

A few minutes later, Ino came in beaming at her friend holding a bag from Panera Bread. She didn't seem to notice Sakura's stress which pleased the rosette for she didn't want much pestering from the blonde that day.

"Jeez, Forehead! The people in Panera were ridiculous! Besides there being a long line, everyone took their god damn time ordering. I swear people nowadays are so ignorant of others! Like hello, there's like a long line behind you and you're still taking your precious time, like hurry the fuck up!"

Sakura smiled as she heard her friend yapping, cursing and complaining about her adventure in Panera Bread during lunch hours. "It all sounds like you had fun in the very end, Piggy."

Ino twitched in annoyance. "I've had more fun getting my underarm waxed then waiting in that darn line, in fact I've had more fun waiting a 3-hour long traffic then waiting in that god forsaken line! Wait-" Her voice turned uncharacteristically soft, "That reminds me, I saw a familiar black car waiting outside the hospital…"

With that, all of Sakura became unstable. "He's still here!" She felt like her brain was going to practically explode. Maybe she should get a restraining order on him.

"Yes. He's waiting like a devoted little puppy outside the hospital."

_Outside? That means the lady in the front desk was able to kick him out but he's now staying outside the hospital…_ Sakura bit her lip nervously. A soft hand clasped over her shoulder, casting a tentative look at her friend, Sakura was met with concerned baby blue eyes.

"Sakura, I'll stay here with you till your shift ends if it makes you feel better. I can tell my mom to take over, she'll understand."

Sakura initially wanted to say no but an agreement slipped out instead. Ino smiled soothingly at her friend and hugged her anxious form. Ino has been through many determined admirers herself but never a true stalker. The moment she learned of Sakura's epidemic, she pledged to herself that she would always be by Sakura's side when need be and now seemed to be one of those times. "Everything will be alright, Sakura."

"Thanks, Ino."

…

Ino was now Sakura's eyes and ears while Sakura was working on her patients. Ino would look outside the building and check if Jun was still around. He stuck around one more hour after lunch break before leaving much to Ino's relief. _Sakura can work in peace, for now at least._

Besides checking for Jun, she did some sleuthing. There are no words for the utter rage that filled Ino when she learned that the lady in the front desk gave Jun, Sakura's cellphone number. No matter the soothing words her friend spoke to her she was still peeved by the one extra issue Sakura would have to face until she changed her number. Ino decided to meet with the woman in the front desk and to affront her to why she did it.

As the blonde strode to the front desk, the woman behind the desk her arched an eyebrow, waiting for the blonde to explain herself and Ino did just that, a straightforward question that was more commanding than asking. "Why did you give him her number?" Ino's eyes slid down to the woman's name tag: _Kaede._

It was obvious that the woman caught on to what Ino meant, she nervously shifted her eyes to the computer that she has been on for most of the day. It wasn't until Ino slammed her hands onto the desk that Kaede finally answered. "He bribed me." She mumbled the words so softly that Ino had to strain her ear to catch it but when she took in what she said, she exploded.

"You were _bribed_! How in the hell- Why the- Who the hell do you think you are? What you did was illegal and-"

"She did it to help me out." A very calm yet irksome voice came from behind Ino. She knew it was him, that man that had been terrorizing poor Sakura… Jun Hiroshi. Ino whipped her head, glaring daggers at the man. He was a bit on the short side, inches shorter than Ino, his black hair was gelled back and his brown eyes glistened amusingly at Ino. He had a stocky build making it obvious that the guy liked to work out and he wore a rather expensive yet tacky looking black suit… _Probably to impress, Sakura._

Ino scoffed as she grasped what he just told her. "Help you out in what? Bothering Sakura! Let me tell you something, Jun! If you do not leave Sakura alone, she will put a restraining order on you. You may be wealthy and bribery is clearly something you have no qualms about but _no one_ is above the law and media. When the media catches whiff of _the_ Jun Hiroshi, son of Maeda Hiroshi the Chairman of Nihon Trade, stalking a well-loved doctor… let me just say you and your father won't be given an easy time."

Jun cocked an eyebrow, "Stalking…? Since when was loving someone considered stalking? And on top of that, you're threatening me with a restraining order?" Jun laughed at the very idea, gazing at Ino with a smug, challenging look.

"Stalking is when someone follows and harasses someone who doesn't want your attention. Sakura doesn't like you and she _never_ will! Get over it, move one, find someone else to bother. Just leave my _best friend_ alone!"

"Best friend, you say?" Ignoring all the other spiteful words Ino spat at him when she mentioned being Sakura's best friend a bulb within him lit up. He casted Ino what he thought was a charming smile, but in Ino's eyes it seemed more like a wicked leer. "I will leave her be then, for tonight at least, but let me just inform you that I don't give up easily." And with that he walked off with a cocky gait.

_The nerve of that man! _She whipped her head back at Kaede whom had been nervously watching the interaction. "Well are you happy to know that that man has Sakura on speed dial now?" Kaede frowned and shook her head in guilt.

Sending one final scowl towards Kaede, Ino sighed and forgave the poor woman requesting that she try to send him off if he were to ever come by the hospital again, Kaede promised she would and with that Ino strode to Sakura's office; waiting till her friend's shift ended.

…

By the end of the day, Ino accompanied Sakura home and stayed over for a while till the moon came to view.

"Well it was nice chilling with you, Forehead. Have a good night and I'll talk to you tomorrow, kay?" The blonde waved to her friend as she exited her home.

Sakura was alone now. Before going to bed, she made sure to lock all the doors and windows and close all the blinds and curtains. When she felt comfortable and safe, she climbed up the steps to her room, took a warm bath and changed into her sleeping attire: a silky night gown. As she crawled into bed she felt something cold and hard hit her thigh, gasping she flicked on her bed light and sighed in relief as she caught sight of the fairytale book.

Sakura grabbed it and skimmed through the pages rereading the book in interest. She paid notice to the pictures in the book, she didn't pay much attention to them in the morning but now she watched them in fascination.

There was another picture of the black kingdom having a more up close view than in the cover, flipping to the next picture there was a man whom she assumed was the king. He did look pretty handsome in the picture, his hair was spiky and his aristocratic face was a stoic mask, his eyes seemed colder than ice.

Eagerly flipping the page over to the next picture she saw another man, he was tall and lean and had a rugged look to him; scars were scattered around his arm and he had a large one on his neck. His eyes had a cynical yet scared vibe to them. _Is this the human man?_

The next picture was whom Sakura quickly identified as the queen. Her wavy hair reached her mid-back and she had a rather petite figure that was donning a Victorian-like dress. Her eyes seemed so warm and familiar for some odd reason. Sakura didn't know what it was about her but she felt like she's seen her somewhere. Giving up, she flipped to other pages that showed the queen running up some large stairs that led to the surface, there was another picture that showed her suffering from her illness, and then the last picture displayed the queen's dead form.

Her eyes flipped back to the only picture of the king however he seemed different. _This can't be right…_ she examined the picture meticulously he didn't seem as stoic for some reason. His eyes, they seemed sad... _Okay I'm pretty sure this guy was stoic not sad._ She noted the grim frown of lips and how his eyebrows were curved downward; it was a true face of sadness and not of iciness.

Rubbing her eyes she looked at the picture again and again. It was official she was going crazy. Deciding she should go to sleep already, Sakura placed the book in her nightstand, leaving it open so she could look back at it tomorrow.

_Well good night, Mr. King. _

…

Unbeknownst to her, the lips of the kings drew to a smirk for a few minutes until his face returned to its original stoic self.

_No matter what, I will wait for you, my queen, even if the world were to end…_

* * *

Well that's it for this chapter!:) Excuse me if there were any grammar or spelling errors; I have no beta-reader for this story- If anyone of you would like to volunteer please just message me! And please tell me how it was by reviewing, your words motivate me, flames however don't- so please don't give me any of those. Constructive criticsm is welcomed and well thank you for reading! Please be sure to read any of my other stories and if you are already and are probably wondering when I'm going to update them then let me just say _"The Hitman's Weakness"_ Is going to be updated any time soon! As for _"I'm in Love with Danger"_, that'll probably be updated later after THW. But yeah enough about that, remember that I love all your faces and especially all your reviews!

See you later, Hamburgers! （＾＿－）≡(||]


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